


Seven Spots

by leevazkai



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Ages are changed in the AU, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, I'm Sorry, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Some Fluff, Some angst, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Well actually lots of angst and lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-14 03:23:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5727868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leevazkai/pseuds/leevazkai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shigeru had just about given up on ever seeing his soulmate again in this lifetime after Kentarou mysteriously disappeared two years ago.</p><p>Shigeru never thought he'd dread seeing those telltale seven spots again.</p><p>(May be rewritten soon??)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seven Spots

**Author's Note:**

> I think I may re-write this one?
> 
> Reasoning here: after I wrote this, I kind of fleshed out the AU a looooot more and rather than trying squeeze the KyouHaba development into the next part to fix some of the problems with this one, I may take this and write it out a little more. That means multiple chapters rather than this one-shot and I'm not sure if I want to devote to that right now. Idk, I'll figure it out. Just know that this fic *may* get a bit of an overhaul~
> 
> I also changed the rating on this as it is right now... I don't think it was really M. (The rewrite will definitely be M though)

Shigeru rolls out of bed with a groan, silencing his phone alarm and daring a glance around his barely-unpacked bedroom. He’s only just moved out on his own, and with his newfound adult responsibilities, he’s found that it’s much easier to just come home from work, order some takeout and flop into bed and repeat the cycle the next day.

It’s not that he doesn’t have a handle on his life, because he definitely does. He’s got a decent job that he at least somewhat enjoys, and he’s managed to stay in contact with his friends from high school – or rather, some of them, since Kentarou went missing at the end of his third year without a trace.

Shigeru doesn’t dwell on his missing soulmate too much. It’s too early for that. Instead, he sends Tooru – his slightly older friend from high school – a text before getting ready for his day at work.

_ > Hey, think you can come by and nag at me to unpack later? _

He never really bothers to do much with his appearance before leaving in the mornings any more. Just a quick check to make sure no stray hairs are sticking up and setting up some toast while he brushes his teeth is all he really ever needs. It’s not like the dogs at the shelter are going to really care that Shigeru doesn’t look his absolute best.

Tooru would scold him for that kind of thinking, of course. He could imagine it now: “What kind of 19-year-old healthy guy doesn’t care about _not_ looking like they just rolled out of bed?” To which, of course, Shigeru would simply roll his eyes and make an offhanded comment about not everyone looking to have a new person in their bed every weekend.

As if Tooru knew he was imagining a conversation with him, Shigeru’s phone buzzes with the reply:

**> Of course~! You get off at 5, right? I’ll be there!**

_ > You really don’t have to wait for me, you know. I’ll just text you when I’m home. _

**> No, no. I know you’re lonely~. I’ll be there waiting.**

_ > Tooru. You know this isn’t a booty call. I’m not like you. Just stand there and watch me unpack. _

**> You wound me, Shigeru~**

**> I’ll bring you some food too, how’s that~?**

_ > Fine. But seriously, don’t wait outside my door like last time. _

Patting his pockets at the door to double-check that he has everything, Shigeru starts his trek to work. The shelter isn’t terribly far from his apartment, but with the October chill setting in, Shigeru makes a mental note to start either layering shirts or to get a thicker sweater.

Once he’s at work, Shigeru quickly busies himself in the kennels. He doesn’t care too much for talking with the other people at the shelter, so he spends most of his time taking care of the dogs. It’s just more relaxing to him that way. The dogs aren’t demanding, after all.

With a bag of dog food slung over his shoulder, he trudges to the end of the last row of kennels. Shigeru’s dreading going back inside to ask what his next task is going to be, so he takes his time, talking to each of the dogs for a few seconds before moving to the next one to fill their bowl.

At the end of the row, Shigeru finds himself crouching face-to-face in front of a new arrival: a scruffy-looking mutt with light brown dark-striped fur and a stumpy tail.

The dog growls at him, showing the faintest glint of extra-sharp canines. _He must still be a pup, if his teeth are that sharp_ , Shigeru muses, hardly fazed by the hostile display. One glance around the dog’s kennel confirms Shigeru’s suspicions: this little one is pretty aggressive, and he’s bored.

There’s a torn-up chew toy strewn about the kennel, and the food dish has been shoved against the back wall, out of Shigeru’s reach.

 _There’s no way in hell I’m going in there_.

Luckily for Shigeru, he came prepared for something like this, and slides a grabbing tool into a hole in the fencing to reach for the bowl. The dog watches intently, bristling slightly.

Before Shigeru can make contact with the bowl, the dog snaps at Shigeru’s hand with a snarl.

“Ah!” Shigeru yelps and jumps back slightly, dropping the handle in his surprise. It clatters to the floor inside the kennel. “Shit.”

He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose before looking back up at the mutt. He’s staring at Shigeru with surprising intensity in his narrowed golden-brown eyes.

 _They’re like Kentarou’s_. Shigeru freezes at the realization. He doesn’t let himself think about his soulmate too much; whenever he does, he wants to go searching for the man again, and he knows he can’t do that.

“Kyoutani?” Shigeru tentatively asks. The dog slowly stops glaring at Shigeru, and he brings the back of his hand up to the door of the kennel for the dog to sniff at. The dog eventually shrinks away from the gate, allowing Shigeru to reach through and take back the handle of his grabber and finish this part of his job. As he heads back toward the office to find what his next task is, Shigeru glances back toward the dog over his shoulder. He’s glaring at Shigeru’s back again.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Shigeru mutters to himself, “There’s no way that’s Kyoutani. That’s _absurd_.”

The rest of Shigeru’s day is, unfortunately, spent inside the shelter, working at the front desk. The only thing that makes it bearable is Takahiro’s sarcastic commentary throughout the day, but even banter with his friend doesn’t really help the time pass any quicker.

Takahiro and Shigeru usually leave work together, and today’s no different. It’s more of a natural development than a planned one; the two have been friends since Shigeru’s first year of high school, and they live in the same direction anyway. It’s just an added bonus that now they can complain about work together and make the snarky commentary that they couldn’t make while on the clock.

During a comfortable silence, Shigeru checks his phone to find a message from Tooru.

**> What’s taking you so long~?**

_ > I’m getting there. I told you not to wait anyway. _

Shigeru sighs, earning a confused glance from Takahiro. “What’s up with you?”

“Hm? Nothing really. Just Tooru being himself.” Shigeru just shrugs and slides his phone back into his pocket. “I meant to ask you, though: What’s up with the new pup?”

“What about him?”

“He reminds me of… someone.”

Takahiro claps his hand on Shigeru’s shoulder, stopping the shorter man in his tracks. His usual grin is nowhere to be found as he makes stern eye contact with Shigeru. After a second or two, he cracks his usual shit-eating grin and jokes, “You sure you’re not just projecting?”

Shigeru replies, unamused, “Why would I be projecting? I’m not that desperate.”

Takahiro ignores the question and continues walking. “You know, just because you were with your soulmate this life doesn’t mean you can’t move on if they’re not around anymore.”

Shigeru jogs to catch up and elbows Takahiro in the ribs. “I don’t think I want to hear that from you, Makki.”

“What? You’ve got a pretty face. You just have to actually talk to people and you’ll find someone new in no time!”

“Says Mister Still-hasn’t-dated-anyone-since-high-school-when-my-mom-married-my-soulmate’s-dad.”

“Low blow, Shigeru. Low blow,” Takahiro punches him in the shoulder, but laughs lightly anyway. “But seriously, you shouldn’t mention it to Tooru yet. He’ll never let you hear the end of it, whether you’re just projecting or not.”

“Yeah, I need to be sure first,” Shigeru says quietly, glancing down at the spots on the palm of his right hand, the last in the straight line of marks running down his arm.

Takahiro elbows him again once they reach the corner where their paths diverge. “Jeez, you’re such a sap it’s going to make me sick.”

“Still don’t want to hear it from you, Makki.”

* * *

 

_Shigeru met him in the hallway in middle school._

_It was a chance meeting, really. Kentarou had been picking a fight with some other kid and backed right into Shigeru._

_Shigeru knew at the time that he should have just let it go and continued to class -- just as he would have if it were anyone else – but for some reason, Shigeru found his hand closing on the shorter boy’s shoulder and roughly spinning him back around._

_Shigeru knew him from class: Kyoutani Kentarou sat in the back of the classroom and usually slept during class, then bullied someone else to give him their notes. Kentarou was one of those people that Shigeru knew of, but didn’t really know._

_He was startled and inexplicably irritated when Kentarou growled at him. “What’re you looking at, huh?” Shigeru’s eyes met his intense golden-brown glare._

_He really had no idea why his vision was suddenly growing hazy with a cloud of annoyance. “What?” Shigeru spat back at the other boy, more aggressively than he probably should have._

_“You’re staring. You gonna make fun of me too?”_

_Shigeru snatched his hand away from Kentarou’s shoulder, tearing his gaze away from the strangely intriguing glare in the process._

_“No,” Shigeru muttered, shaking his head, “of course not.”_

_With a grunt, Kentarou stomped away from Shigeru and the buzz in the hallway resumed as if nothing had happened._

_Shigeru continued on his way to class, still wondering why Kentarou’s glare had been so… fascinating._

_He didn’t notice the other boy glaring at the back of his head for the rest of the day._

* * *

 

As harsh morning light streams through the windows of his room, Shigeru leans back against his bed with a satisfied sigh, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He’s finally managed to finish unpacking his apartment, and collapses the last box before standing and stretching.

He’s been up for a few hours already, just because he couldn’t sleep any more, but he’s pretty close to running late for work. He’ll admit, having the whole apartment to himself is pretty nice, since he doesn’t have to worry about accidentally waking anyone else up.

However, that does also mean that the lack of bread left for his morning toast is no one’s fault but his own.

Slightly irritated and definitely hungrier than he usually is in the morning, Shigeru shrugs on his sweater and ventures into the crisp November air, shoving his hands deep into his pockets to keep them as warm as he can with the thinning fabric of his aging hoodie.

He rushes to work to try to beat the chill, and – for once – is glad to be scheduled to work at the front desk during the first part of his shift. Working indoors means he can actually sit down and enjoy his cup of hot coffee from the break room, after all.

Takahiro takes his seat behind the counter next to Shigeru, yawning a greeting and eyeing Shigeru’s coffee with a look of longing.

“If you want some, go get your own, Makki.”

Takahiro rests his head on his arms, crossed on the top of his desk. “Mmmm. Too tired.”

“Come on, it’s too early to be sleeping on the job.”

“It’s too early to be awake.”

The rest of the morning passes fairly painlessly, as there’s not actually much to do at the front desk until later in the day, and Shigeru gladly takes his second shift in the kennels.

The young mutt still growls at him whenever he walks by, but – to his coworkers’ amazement – the dog actually stops growling if Shigeru talks to him.

Shigeru starts his routine of feeding the dogs, taking his time going down the rows of kennels. He always saves the pup’s kennel for last, not because he dislikes the dog, but because he always spends the longest time with him.

Shigeru insists to himself (and Takahiro) that it’s because he wants the dog to get more used to people and find a good home soon.

Once he reaches the last kennel, Shigeru is startled by the dog jumping up on the gate, standing up on his hind legs. He’s not growling for once, but that’s not what sends the chill down Shigeru’s spine.

Down the underside of the dog’s left foreleg is a straight line of spots -- a line that exactly mirrors the spots down Shigeru’s right arm.

“Oh no,” Shigeru whispers in disbelief.

* * *

 

_Kentarou was suspended in his first year of high school more often than he was actually at school, it seemed. By some twisted stroke of luck, it just had to be Shigeru who got to take Kentarou’s missed classwork to him. Their teacher claimed it was because “Shigeru is the only person who isn’t afraid of Kentarou.”_

_One particular afternoon, when Kentarou answered the door, rather than snatching the packet of papers from Shigeru, he growled, “Why’s it have to be you? You’re annoying.”_

_Shigeru was taken aback. He hardly talked to Kentarou alone. The two kind of hung out with the same people, but deliberately avoided each other even while doing so. “Uh… the teacher chose me?” He replied hesitantly._

_“But why not just tell him no?”_

_Annoyance began clouding Shigeru’s mind, making his response more sarcastic than he would have otherwise made it. “Because he’s our teacher?”_

_Kentarou took a step closer to Shigeru, puffing up his chest slightly, as if his intimidation techniques would work against the taller boy. With the added proximity, Shigeru noted the deeper-than-usual dark circles under Kentarou’s eyes. The familiar glare flickered with something that Shigeru could only describe as weaker, somehow._

_“You sure you’re not here to pick a fight?”_

_“What? No! I’m just delivering your homework. That’s it.” Shigeru held out the packet for the other boy sheepishly._

_Kentarou’s glare broke and Shigeru was finally able to put his finger on what it was he was seeing. Was that… sadness? Loneliness?_

_Shigeru just knew it was an expression he didn’t know Kentarou was capable of making._

_Kentarou snatched the packet from Shigeru and quickly turned to head back into the apartment._

_“Are you… lonely?” Shigeru immediately wished he’d just kept his mouth shut. They weren’t friends; he had no business asking._

_With the sound of papers hitting the floor, Kentarou spun and shoved the taller boy against the doorframe, holding his right arm above his head to partially restrict his movement. He growled in Shigeru’s face, “It’s not your business. Leave me alone --”_

_Kentarou’s words trailed off as he noticed exactly what Shigeru noticed: starting at the underside of Kentarou’s left bicep, a line of spots – seven of them – ending at the tip of his ring finger (Shigeru could only infer this, as Kentarou’s hand was still closed around his wrist above his head). The marks perfectly mirrored the ones on Shigeru’s right arm, and both boys’ mouths hung agape as they realized this._

_The eye contact that followed was simultaneously the most exciting and the most terrifying moment of Shigeru’s life._

_Kentarou dropped Shigeru’s wrist and tore his gaze away from Shigeru’s._

_“Shit,” he hissed, as he clenched his fists and rushed back inside, leaving Shigeru dazed in the entryway._

* * *

 

 

“This has really got to be some freak coincidence,” Shigeru mutters as he re-enters the office in search of his boss.

As he briskly strides past the front desk to beeline for the boss’ office, he’s stopped by a firm grip on his arm. “What’s got you in such a hurry, man?”

Shigeru turns to see Takahiro’s concerned, but mostly confused face, waiting for an answer. Shigeru shakes off the taller man’s hold and asks, “Is boss in his office?”

“Yeah, he should be. But what’s got you so worked up anyway? It’s weird to see you like this.”

Shigeru, already starting to walk away toward the office in question, throws over his shoulder, “It’s the pup. I’ll explain later.”

“Is it him?” Shigeru stops dead in his tracks at the question.

The problem, Shigeru realizes, is that he’s not actually sure either. This whole thing could just be a freak coincidence, but something deep in his gut was telling him that it wasn’t just some _coincidence_ that there were seven dark spots running in a perfectly straight line down the dog’s foreleg. His _left_ foreleg, at that.

“I’m not sure,” he admits, shooting a pained grin back at his old friend. “But I promise I’ll explain everything when I know for sure, okay?”

* * *

 

_No more than a few months after the boys realized they were bonded by something deeper than just being in the same class, Kentarou and Shigeru managed to get over their apparent hate for each other… mostly. They actually talked with each other on occasion, to their upperclassmen’s surprise. Their lunch periods usually ended in bickering after a teasing remark from Takahiro or Issei, but Tooru celebrated their growing closer nonetheless, constantly saying things along the lines of “Mad Dog-chan and Shigeru-chan are so cute~!”_

_If there was anything that Kentarou and Shigeru agreed on, it was that they were, by no means, “cute”._

_One particularly chilly afternoon after classes finished, Shigeru was dragged by his wrist around to the back of the school building by a particularly frustrated-looking Kentarou._

_“Do you really have to_ drag _me?” Shigeru asked, already irritated to be alone with Kentarou._

_Kentarou stopped pulling the brunet along, but didn’t drop his wrist and only grunted in response._

_After a long and very awkward pause, Kentarou turned to glare into Shigeru’s eyes. “Do you hate me?”_

_“What? No,” Shigeru paused, bringing his free hand to rub the back of his neck awkwardly. “I mean, you’re annoying, sure, but I don’t_ hate _you.”_

_“I don’t hate you either.” Kentarou quickly averted his eyes to the wall beside them._

_Another long pause._

_“Okay… Then what now? Is that all you wanted?” Shigeru felt like his wrist was starting to burn with the contact that Kentarou hadn’t stopped. He squirmed a little, and Kentarou glared back up at him again before glancing down at the arms he held in place between them -- the ones with their marks on them, though most of the marks were covered by their uniform blazers._

_Kentarou grunts again before asking, almost shyly, “What should we do? About being… soulmates?” He grumbled out the last word, and Shigeru could swear that his ears turned a little pink just from saying it. The grip on Shigeru’s wrist slackened slightly._

_Shigeru had never seen this side of Kentarou before, but he wasn’t about to admit that it was almost cute._

_“If I had an answer to that, I would have told you when I had it.” The ground was suddenly very interesting to Shigeru, and the two were silent for another long minute while Shigeru scuffed at the ground with the toe of his shoe._

_“You’re annoying,” Kentarou said suddenly, but with none of the bite that he usually had. Shigeru lifted his eyes to meet his golden-brown gaze again. Kentarou’s grip tightened slightly on Shigeru’s hand, where he suddenly realized that their fingers had been laced together, despite not remembering the shift. Heat rose up on Shigeru’s neck and he hoped Kentarou didn’t notice it when the other boy continued, “But I guess I really don’t hate you.”_

_Shigeru couldn’t help but notice that the distance between them had decreased in the time since this encounter began. He couldn’t be sure who had started closing the gap though, or if it was both of them being pulled together for some reason neither boy could explain._

_It came as a surprise to both of them when their lips finally met. It wasn’t a sudden hungry crashing together as one would have expected from them, but more of an awkward bumping of noses followed by innocent ghosting of contact that only lasted a split second before the two -- suddenly broken out of their trance -- jerked apart, blushing varying shades of red and pink._

_They were careful not to make eye contact again as Kentarou grumbled, “You’re so annoying!”_

_“I could say the same, dammit!” Shigeru shot back. His cheeks were burning and his lips were still tingling, almost itching for more contact, but he didn’t want to admit that._

_He would just have to make due with the fact that their fingers were still entwined and holding tight._

* * *

 

“I already told you, Makki. I’ll explain everything when Tooru’s here so I don’t have to repeat myself.”

The strawberry blond groans an exasperated “fine” behind Shigeru as he unlocks the door of his apartment. As he pushes the door open, the mutt excitedly greets him, but steps back and growls when he sees Takahiro, who immediately crouches and holds out his hand.

“Come on, you know Makki,” Shigeru scratches behind the dog’s ear, and he immediately stops growling to smell Takahiro’s outstretched hand.

Once the dog finishes with Makki’s hand, the two men take a seat on Shigeru’s couch. Shigeru quickly calls Tooru to invite him over, putting the call on speaker so Takahiro can hear too. The phone rings twice before Tooru’s voice chimes from the other end, “Hello, Shigeru-chan!”

The dog’s ears perk up at the sound.

“Hey, Tooru,” Shigeru starts hesitantly. He glances at Takahiro, as if asking what he should say. The other simply nods in reassurance, and Shigeru continues, “Do you think you can come over for a bit?”

“Oh~? Is little Shigeru-chan lonely?”

Takahiro snickers a little next to Shigeru and earns a light punch in the arm. “Of course not,” Shigeru denies quickly.

Tooru hums slightly on the other side of the line. “You don’t sound so sure about that.”

Shigeru chews on his lip before replying, “Well, it _has_ been two years to the day since Kentarou disappeared.” The pup rests his head on Shigeru’s knee, and Takahiro grips his shoulder lightly. Shigeru smiles weakly to both while a short silence falls over the group, including Tooru on the other end.

“Did you ever find out what happened to him? Or what made him leave?” Tooru’s voice is serious, free of his usual flirty and teasing tone.

“No,” Shigeru inhales as his eyes well up with tears that he tries to fight back. “I found out nothing. I searched for months, but no one told me anything. He was just _gone_. I didn’t want to acknowledge anything bad had happened.” Takahiro squeezes his shoulder, trying to comfort Shigeru somehow.

“It’s been two years, Shigeru.”

“I know,” Shigeru hiccups, and he notices a dampness on his cheeks when Takahiro reaches over to brush a tear from the brunet’s face. Shigeru offers a smile as thanks and reaches down to pet the pup again. “Hurry and get here, though. I’ve got something to show you.” He hangs up after getting confirmation from Tooru, and leans back against the cushions. Glancing over at Takahiro, he laughs quietly, “You better not tell Mattsun about how I’m still crying over this.”

Takahiro feigns hurt, placing a hand over his chest, and retorts, “Me? So cruel? Who do you take me for?”

“I just don’t think I can take yet another one of you jerks telling me to ‘move on already’.”

Takahiro lays back into the worn-down couch next to him, sighing. “You know it’s because we care about you, right? We just don’t want to see you suffering. You’re 19. We’ve only got a year and change on you and it honestly feels like we’re all just losing time. You’re practically a baby still, so you should live this life. It’s still only your first life, right? You’ll have more chances to find your soulmate again.”

“Go back to being snarky, you’re scaring me,” Shigeru rests his head against Takahiro’s shoulder and closes his eyes, but stands again as he hears a knock at the door after a few minutes. “Can you open it? I’m gonna hold this guy,” he gestures to the dog, who’s already baring his teeth in the direction of the knock, “so he doesn’t get too hasty.”

“Suuure.”

Sure enough, when Takahiro opens the door to let Tooru in, the dog tries leaping at the newcomer immediately, but Shigeru holds him back by the collar while he growls loudly.

“He’s just like Mad Dog-chan!” Tooru coos, and the dog immediately stops growling. Tooru’s grin drops from his face so quickly, Shigeru could compare it to a switch being flipped. He looks up at Shigeru, suddenly concerned. “Shigeru, don’t tell me this is what you wanted me to see.”

“And what if it is?” Shigeru tries to swallow the lump in his throat, but to no avail. He knows what’s coming next.

“You know what this means, right?” Takahiro quietly closes the door again and sneaks over to stand by Shigeru again, offering the small comfort of just being there again, as the shorter man tears up.

Shigeru releases the dog’s collar and exhales shakily. “That something bad _did_ happen, yeah. I know.”

Tooru gestures to the pup, who has busied himself sniffing around the man’s feet, “What are you going to do when _he’s_ gone?”

Takahiro glares at Tooru pointedly and grips Shigeru’s shoulder again. Shigeru snaps, “Don’t ask me something like that. He’s still a puppy.”

Tooru pulls Shigeru into a tight embrace. “You’re right. Sorry, Shigeru-chan.” He glances over at Takahiro sheepishly, “And please don’t hurt me, Makki.”

“You guys seem to think I’m some kind of monster today,” Takahiro shakes his head, but smirks anyway.

A silence only punctuated by Shigeru’s quiet sniffles against Tooru’s shoulder falls over the group.

It’s Tooru who breaks the silence again, in his usual cheerful tone as he pulls away from Shigeru, “Say, when was the last time you went out and spent a night with someone else, Shigeru-chan?”

Takahiro sighs, and Shigeru answers, unamused, “Two years ago. To the day. You know I’m not going to go out and have meaningless one-night-stands, Tooru.”

Tooru glances over at Takahiro, making brief eye contact that Shigeru can’t help but question the meaning behind. Looking back at Shigeru, Tooru’s face splits into one of his signature smiles and he asks, “Do you want to tag along with me tonight, then? I’m going out with a friend from school to meet up with his boyfriend and whoever they’re bringing to set me up with. I hear there’s a third person on their end coming along too if you want to join us.”

Shigeru shakes his head. “That’s not really my thing, Tooru. But thanks anyway.”

Tooru claps Shigeru’s shoulder, still grinning. “Don’t be too hard on yourself, Shigeru-chan. I’ll let you know if that third person is any good, how about that?” He winks and Takahiro makes a gagging sound, finally getting Shigeru to laugh lightly.

“Whatever,” Shigeru rolls his eyes, “You go have fun. I guess I have some things to sort out.”

* * *

 

_Much like their first kiss, the next two years of Kentarou’s and Shigeru’s relationship progressed before either really realized what was happening. Nothing seemed unnatural or rushed though, and that’s all either could have asked for._

_It was December 8th, a Sunday._

_Shigeru’s parents had welcomed Kyoutani into their home for the weekend with open arms the night before, even offering the boy a cake they’d been making, since it was his birthday. They treated him as if he was already part of the family, but Kentarou would never admit that he enjoyed the treatment._

_It wasn’t the first time Kentarou had stayed the night at Shigeru’s house, but that Sunday was the first time they’d been left alone for the whole day, which nothing but each other to keep themselves busy. With Shigeru’s dad traveling for a business trip and his mom spending the day with her friends, they were free to do anything they pleased._

_However, true to fashion, the pair didn’t hastily rush into things. They spent the morning just laying in Shigeru’s bed, enjoying the warmth of the blankets and each other and bickering lightly about Shigeru’s cold feet, which quickly turned into a wrestling match to get the icy extremities off of or onto Kentarou’s thighs._

_Shigeru lost the struggle, of course, when the broader boy pinned him down against the sheets by his wrists. Panting slightly at the exertion, Shigeru grinned up at the boy with the terrible dye-job before hooking his long legs around his waist and pulling him closer._

_“Okay, you got me,” Shigeru purred, arching an eyebrow. He gripped tighter with his legs, causing a light pink dusting to creep onto the tips of Kentarou’s ears. “You gonna kiss me or what?”_

_Kentarou smirked -- something Shigeru had the privilege of seeing more than anyone else -- and lowered himself to hover just centimeters from Shigeru’s face, never breaking eye contact, besides when Shigeru let his gaze flicker down to stare at his lips._

_He didn’t close the gap, though, and that started getting on Shigeru’s nerves. The taller boy, still pinned down by his wrists, craned his neck to try to get the contact he was waiting for, but Kentarou maintained the distance with a playful glint in his eyes. “You’re_ so _annoying,” Shigeru pouted when he relaxed his head back onto his pillow._

_Before Kentarou could make a retort, as soon as his guard was dropped, Shigeru twisted his hips, legs still wrapped around the boy above him, and flipped them over with a sly grin plastered on his face._

_“You know I just like watching you squirm,” Kentarou grunted back at him, releasing his wrists and reaching up to run his fingers through soft, grey-brown hair. Shigeru sighed with pleasure and let his eyes fall closed._

_When Kentarou’s hands settled at the back of the other’s neck, he tugged Shigeru down to finally press their lips together, earning a pleased sound from the brunet. Shigeru was always surprised with how gentle Kentarou actually was, especially when it came to contact. Their kisses always started out soft and sweet, mouths gently gliding together in slow, lingering motions. However, after a time they would always grow quicker and hungrier, only stopping for quick breaths of air before diving right back together._

_Shigeru couldn’t tell if it was just because they were soulmates that every time they kissed -- or touched at all, for that matter -- their points of contact started to burn, but not unpleasantly. The heat was less like the sting of touching a hot pan, and more like the warmth from holding a mug of hot cocoa._

_After a minute or more -- they really couldn’t tell how long -- Kentarou pushed them into a sitting position, with Shigeru still straddling him. He pulled away for a second, breathing heavily, and met Shigeru’s eyes again, lingering there for a moment before moving to trail his lips down the slender neck before him and earning a small gasp in the process. Shigeru’s fingers tightened in his hair._

_Kentarou continued his trail down to Shigeru’s collarbones, biting softly in the spots he knew Shigeru liked and relishing in the feeling of Shigeru’s hands knotting in his t-shirt. Kentarou reached for the hem of Shigeru’s too, and pulled away with the question in his eyes, making sure it was okay to continue. In response, Shigeru simply pulled off his shirt and tugged at Kentarou’s until it joined the other garment on the floor._

_They locked lips again, slowly and lazily, enjoying the change in sensation with the new skin contact. Kentarou’s hands roamed the surface of Shigeru’s back freely, dragging trails of warmth over the skin, while Shigeru’s took in the toned chest and racing heartbeat of the other._

_The next pause didn’t come until Kentarou’s hands wandered to the waistband of Shigeru’s sweatpants -- when Shigeru unintentionally ground his hips against the other boy’s._

_The look they shared wasn’t the usual one asking for permission to continue. No, this one was a look of realization that that finally had the freedom to continue, and the realization that, yes, they both wanted to._

_It was Kentarou who spoke up though, confirming in a low voice, “Do you want to do this?” His voice was hoarse and he was practically panting; he pulled a little at the elastic for emphasis._

_Shigeru drew in a long, shaky breath. He cupped Kentarou’s face in his hands and planted a light kiss to the shorter boy’s lips before answering with barely more than a whisper, “Yes.” At that, Kentarou wrapped his arms tightly around Shigeru’s waist, burying his face into the bare chest and inhaling deeply. Lean arms wound around his shoulders, pulling him even closer while Shigeru kissed the top of his head. “You nervous or something?”_

_Kentarou looked up at his soulmate with a light smile, and Shigeru thought he may die happily right then and there._

_“I‘m just happy,” he answered, “but I_ am _a little nervous that I might break you.”_

_Shigeru blushed at the confession. “Then I guess just go slow and uh… be gentle.”_

_“Of course,” Kentarou brought their lips together one more time before repositioning them so Shigeru was laying back again, Kentarou kneeling between his legs._

_They exchanged one last look of understanding, wordlessly saying, “Let’s take this chance together.”_

 

_Kentarou was awoken by Shigeru shifting around next to him, looking at his phone and grinning like an idiot._

_“Oh hey, look who’s finally awake,” Shigeru teased while reaching over to run a thumb over Kentarou’s cheek._

_“How long was I asleep?” He grumbled in response, sitting up and rubbing his eyes._

_Shigeru straightened up and glanced at the clock, the new angle showing off the marks Kentarou had left on the pale skin of his neck. He reached out to touch them out of curiosity, half-wondering if they hurt. Shigeru shivered at the unexpected contact, turning to face Kentarou again. After a short period of silence where they just stared into each other’s eyes again, Shigeru remembered that he hadn’t answered the question. “Oh, you only slept about 45 minutes. It’s not even 2:30 yet.”_

_“Ah, okay,” Kentarou was cut off by the sound of his stomach growling, reminding both of the boys that they’d been up for hours and hadn’t done anything remotely productive all day._

_“Wanna go make some food?”_

_“I guess.”_

_The boys eased out of Shigeru’s bed for the first time that day, gathering their previously discarded sweatpants and shorts and taking the short trip to the kitchen._

_While Shigeru was rifling through the fridge to see what they had to work with, Kentarou hugged him from behind, resting his cheek against the taller boy’s shoulder. “Are you feeling okay?”_

_Shigeru laughed dryly, “Well, I’ll probably be sore tomorrow, but I don’t think you could have done any more to prevent that.”_

_Kentarou buried his face in shame and muttered a muffled apology._

_After pulling out the necessary ingredients, Shigeru made both of them sandwiches, since they’re quick and easy. Kentarou kept his face hidden in his hands even after the two sat down to eat._

_“Seriously, I’m fine,” Shigeru insisted after a period of silence. “If I wasn’t, you would have heard about it.” Kentarou lowered his hands and Shigeru offered him a smile before leaning over to place a chaste kiss on the corner of his mouth. They went back to eating in comfortable silence._

_Not particularly wanting to do anything else for the day, the two found themselves on the couch watching some random movie they’d found while channel surfing. Shigeru settled with his head on Kentarou’s lap, and was idly tracing a line down the other boy’s arm, connecting the spots they shared, not paying any real attention to the movie._

_Both boys were startled when their peaceful silence was broken by the sound of Shigeru’s phone going off in the pocket of his pants._

_He checked the message with a wide grin on his face._

_“What’re you smiling about?” Kentarou grumbled, running a hand through Shigeru’s hair._

_Shigeru simply held the phone up for the other to see for himself._

_On the screen was the group chat with their other friends, which Kentarou was also a part of. At the top of the window, there was a picture from Shigeru._

_The picture was of a smiling, shirtless Shigeru, with an equally shirtless sleeping Kentarou draped across him, with the simple caption, “Guess what?”_

_The replies were unmistakably what Shigeru had been smiling about, though:_

_ >Takahiro: Yoooooooooooooo! _

_ >Issei: Get some! _

_ >Tooru: What?! _

_ >Tooru: Shigeru-chan, did you guys do it right? Were you safe? You used all the proper materials, right? _

_ >Shigeru: Wow, Tooru are you my mom? Of course we did. _

_ >Takahiro: I totally thought you’d done this sooner, tbh _

_ >Issei: Can you walk tho? _

_ >Tooru: Oh god, Shigeru-chan are those bite marks?! _

_Kentarou didn’t want to admit that he was pretty proud of their reactions, but he sent a message of his own:_

_ > Shigeru: What if they are? - K _

_Kentarou passed the phone back to Shigeru, who sat up and shoved Kentarou’s shoulder when he read the new addition to the chat, faking a pout._

_“What’s your problem?” Shigeru whined._

_“What’s yours?”_

_Shigeru turned to glare at Kentarou, still pouting with his arms crossed over his chest. “My problem is you.” Kentarou simply grunted and turned back to the movie, propping his elbow on the arm of the couch. Shigeru wasn’t happy with the reaction, and continued in a teasing tone, “Come on, no response to that one, Mad Dog-chan~?”_

_“Do you ever shut up?” Kentarou grumbled back, daring a quick glance at the other boy, who had an obnoxious smirk on his face that Kentarou was both annoyed by and happy to see again. He returned his gaze to the screen, despite having no idea what was actually happening on it._

_“That’s not what you were saying earlier,” Shigeru teased, lifting his eyebrows and humming suggestively. Before he could continue or react, a pillow collided with his face with a soft_ whump _and fell into his lap. “Hey!” Kentarou aggressively focused on the screen again, hiding his mouth behind his hand so Shigeru wouldn’t see the embarrassed look on his face. He couldn’t hide the bright red blush at the tips of his ears though._

_Kentarou simply grunted again, and Shigeru lobbed the pillow at his head. It bounced off lightly, landing on the floor just out of reach._

_“Come on, don’t tell me you’re going to be shy_ now _, Mad Dog-chan!” Shigeru crawled closer to him slowly, batting his eyelashes obnoxiously when he got the other to look over at him._

_Kentarou pushed the brunet’s face away, finally replying, “You’re not allowed to call me that.”_

_Shigeru straightened up again. “What, ‘Mad Dog-chan’?”_

_Kentarou met his gaze and grunted out a simple, “Yeah.”_

_“And Tooru can?”_

_There was a pause and Kentarou shifted his eyes to the floor. “No, it’s just wrong coming from you.”_

_Shigeru shifted on the couch so he was properly sitting again, and Kentarou couldn’t ignore that he’d also taken the chance to scoot closer. “It’s cute though.”_

_“It’s annoying.”_

_“Everything is annoying to you. What do you want from me? To call you ‘He-with-the-shitty-dye-job’?” He paused when Kentarou looked up to glare at him. Shigeru continued with a smirk, “Kyoutani Kentarou-sama?”_

_It was Kentarou’s turn to make a jab, and he replied in a low drawl that Shigeru couldn’t help but blush at, “You didn’t have a problem calling out ‘Ken’ earlier.”_

_Shigeru quickly turned away from Kentarou and laid down, burying his face in another pillow before whining, “No, that’s embarrassing!”_

_There was another shift on the couch, and Shigeru removed the pillow from his face to find Kentarou hovering above him on all-fours with a glint in his golden-brown eyes. “It’s true, though.”_

_“Shut up!” Shigeru attempted to sound offended, but all of the bite was stolen from his voice when Kentarou’s intense gaze flickered down to watch his lips. He tugged the other boy down by his shoulders and pressed a quick, rough kiss to his lips, shifting his position so he wasn’t awkwardly twisted beneath Kentarou. “You know, if you want to make out or something, you could just ask instead of being an asshole.”_

_“Shut up,” Kentarou growled against Shigeru’s lips, not managing to sound menacing in the slightest as he returned a much longer kiss. Shigeru’s hands wandered up his neck and into his short-cropped hair, driving both of them onward._

_“Is that -- mhph -- how you seduce people?” Shigeru asked between kisses as they grew more intense. “Throwing things at them?”_

_Kentarou pulled away for a second to reply with a grin, “Well, obviously it worked on you.”_

_“Touch_ _é_ _," Shigeru’s fingers tightened in Kentarou’s hair. “now get back down here,_ Ken."

_Without the usual barrier of shirts -- since theirs were long-forgotten on Shigeru’s bedroom floor -- their hands explored freely; Shigeru’s fingertips tracing the lines of muscle in Kentarou’s shoulders and back, and Kentarou’s palm traveling from Shigeru’s chest to his hip and over his stomach. It wasn’t long before Kentarou dropped his hips to more easily use both hands, and Shigeru welcomed the shift with a pleased groan. Kentarou pulled away again with a tug on Shigeru’s lower lip and started trailing down the path of marks he’d left earlier, eliciting a gasp from the boy under him._

_“Look,” Shigeru spoke suddenly, voice slightly hoarse and definitely short of breath. Kentarou offered his gaze, but continued kissing at Shigeru’s throat. “As much as I-- mmh -- wouldn’t mind uh… going for round two-AH!” Shigeru pushed Kentarou away by the shoulders so he could speak properly and make sure he actually had his soulmate’s attention. Kentarou pouted slightly at the interruption. “My mom is going to be home soon and I really think we should uh… spare her. And not be going at it on the couch. Or at all, actually. She doesn’t deserve to see or hear that.”_

_Kentarou paused for a second, as if he was considering a huge proposal, before nodding slightly. “Ah, right.” He eased off of Shigeru and settled in between the boy and the back of the couch, slinging an arm over Shigeru’s chest._

_“Did you just agree with me or am I hearing things?”_

_“Shut up,” Kentarou grumbled as he buried his face into Shigeru’s shoulder, leaving one more soft kiss on the exposed flesh, and closed his eyes._

 

_Kentarou jerked awake when he heard a series of sharp knocks on the door. He sat up quickly, shaking off the blanket that Shigeru’s mom had covered the shirtless pair with when she’d found them asleep, and glanced around. Shigeru’s mom was just coming out of the kitchen to answer the door and she waved for Kentarou to relax; she’d get the door._

_He shook the sleeping Shigeru to wake him up, muttering, “Oi, wake up, lazy-ass.”_

_When Shigeru was finally grumbling and rubbing his eyes as he struggled to open them, Shigeru’s mom opened the door to meet with the newcomer, also letting in a gust of freezing wind that chilled Shigeru awake better than any cold shower could have._

_Kentarou and Shigeru would have paid attention to the conversation at the door if Shigeru weren’t busy elbowing Kentarou in the side for letting them fall asleep in the living room._

_“How was that my fault?” Kentarou shoved Shigeru hard enough for the other boy to decide to just lay back down and try to cover himself with the blanket again._

_“You fell asleep first,” Shigeru mumbled, clearly ready to doze off again now that the cold air was dispersing and the door was closed._

_Kentarou was about to retort when Shigeru’s mom reentered the room and pulled the blanket completely off the couch. “Come on, Shigeru! Go help Kentarou pack up his stuff to go, his dad’s here!”_

_Sure enough, Kentarou’s father was standing in the entryway, with his arms crossed over his chest and looking more than a little disgruntled with the visible snow on his shoulders_

_“Okay, okay. I’m getting up, see?” Shigeru rolled off the couch, nearly falling over as he straightened up and stretched. Kentarou must have been staring, because the next thing he knew, Shigeru had grabbed him by the wrist and was pulling him back to his room, where the pair quickly gathered all of Kentarou’s things -- not that he had brought much -- and Kentarou changed into more weather-appropriate clothing, since shorts were definitely not a good idea in the snow. Shigeru threw on a sweater for good measure; it was bad enough that his mom had caught them cuddling on the couch, worse that they were only partially-clothed when she found them._

_Kentarou paused with his hand on the doorknob. He almost felt wrong leaving so quickly, despite knowing that he’d see Shigeru at school in the morning. He inhaled and shook his head, but Shigeru stopped him from turning the handle with a hand on his arm. “What?” Kentarou asked, almost inaudibly._

_Shigeru let out a shaky breath. “I don’t know, really,” he paused and tightened his grip on the sleeve of Kentarou’s jacket. “For some reason I just don’t want you to go yet.”_

_Kentarou slipped his backpack from his shoulder and turned to hug Shigeru. The tender atmosphere was strange, but Kentarou understood the feeling of not wanting to let it go quite yet. He buried his face in the crook of Shigeru’s shoulder as the taller boy pulled him closer and nuzzled his hair._

_After a long silence, Shigeru drew in a breath and started softly, “Don’t laugh at how sentimental this is going to sound, okay?” Kentarou pulled away slightly to look into Shigeru’s warm brown eyes and nodded an acknowledgement. Shigeru continued in hardly more than a whisper, as if he was trying to keep a secret in a public place, “I hope we remember this day -- no, these last few years -- forever. I mean, after this life, ya’know?” Kentarou nodded again, encouraging Shigeru to continue. “And I really hope we’ll be able to find each other in our next lives again. It shouldn’t be hard, right? Since we just have to find these seven spots again,” he slid his hands down Kentarou’s arms, slotting their fingers together and squeezing with his right just slightly for emphasis. Shigeru sighed again before finishing, “This really is just a roundabout way to say I love you, isn’t it?”_

_Kentarou froze at the declaration. Shigeru’s face was the deepest shade of red he’d ever seen, even in the dim lighting, and he was chewing his lip anxiously._

_He released one of Shigeru’s hands -- the one without their marks, of course -- and cupped Shigeru’s cheek, closing the already-short distance between them for a kiss unlike any the pair had shared before. It was slow and gentle, just as all of them started, but neither made a move to make it quicker. To Shigeru, it was like Kentarou was saying all of the things he couldn’t express with words with every slight movement of his lips; he returned the sentiment in kind, releasing Kentarou’s other hand and winding his arms around his waist to feel as close to the other boy as possible._

_They only broke apart when they needed air, resting their foreheads together and holding each other up against suddenly-weakened knees._

_Kentarou spoke up first, with a simple request uttered in a low murmur, “Can you say that again?”_

_Any other time, Shigeru would have teased him, but he obliged with a proud smile. “I love you, Kentarou.”_

_Kentarou returned the smile. It was one that hurt his cheeks and made his eyes crinkle at the corners. “I love you too, Shigeru,” he replied, placing a light peck on Shigeru’s upper lip before forcing himself to sober up and pull away from Shigeru. “I guess we should go out there again before they assume we’re in here going for that ‘round two’, huh?” Before waiting for a response, he scooped up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder again and opened the door, pulling Shigeru out by the hand._

_“Wow, way to kill the mood.”_

_“What? It’s pretty obvious what we did. You should see your neck.”_

_“I’m sure it’s going to be a pain in the ass to cover in the morning.”_

_The two stopped bickering as they reached the living room, where their respective parents were chatting idly. Kentarou approached his dad, apologizing for the wait, to which his dad grunted in response. Shigeru shot him a glance that jabbed, “now I know where you learned grunt”, and Kentarou lightly punched his side._

_When Kentarou’s dad rose and bid Shigeru’s mother a farewell, Kentarou suddenly perked up as if he’d remembered something exciting._

_“Hey Dad, do you think I could drive today? I could use the night practice.” His dad looked down at him and looked like he was going to protest, but Kentarou cut him off again. “I know it’s snowing, but I need weather practice too.”_

_“Hmm...” His dad closed his eyes for a second, contemplating. “I guess. It wasn’t snowing too badly when I got here.” He tossed the keys to his son, who caught them excitedly. The pair turned to leave, escorted to the door by Shigeru._

_After a brief goodbye to Shigeru’s mother, Kentarou’s father slipped on his shoes and stepped outside. Kentarou was about to follow, but Shigeru reached for his hand before he could leave._

_“What?”_

_Shigeru gripped Kentarou’s warm, rough hand tighter. “Drive safe, okay? Pull over and switch if you need to. Don’t be stupid out there.”_

_“Of course I’ll be careful. I’m not an idiot.”_

_“I wonder sometimes.” Kentarou shoved his shoulder, but offered a small smile. “Text me when you get home?”_

_“You say that like I don’t anyway.”_

_“I know, I know,” Shigeru stared at the floor, shifting his feet in the cold entryway. “I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”_

_“Duh.” Kentarou released his hand and turned to leave, but returned for one last kiss, similar to the one they’d shared in Shigeru’s room, before waving goodbye and catching up to his father._

_Shigeru watched them walk away through the snowfall for a few seconds before closing the door._

_“You guys are cute, you know that?” Shigeru’s mom teased when he dragged his feet back to the living room and flopped onto the couch._

_He simply grunted in response and stared at his phone, as if the text was going to appear sooner if he watched for it._

_It didn’t come before he fell asleep again._

* * *

 

Shigeru powers on his laptop and perches with his legs folded on the couch in his apartment. He should have gone to sleep when Takahiro left a few hours ago, but simply couldn’t. It was probably just a combination of buzzing thoughts and the chill that accompanied the first snowfall of the year, he swears.

The dog hops up on the couch next to him and Shigeru idly scratches behind his ear, entering his password with his free hand.

“This is it,” he mutters to his darkened apartment as he opens a web browser.

Shigeru hesitates, contemplating what exactly he should search for.

He settles for “tokyo news archive december 8 2013” and presses the enter key. He waits for the results to load, holding his breath. The dog rests his head on Shigeru’s leg.

He pushes back the growing feeling of dread when he opens a link to the news articles of that day, but he wasn’t sure what he was fearing more: confirmation of disaster, or finding nothing at all and clinging to the hope of his soulmate ever returning.

He opens the last article posted that day. It was labeled with something about road conditions being unsafe in the sudden blizzard, and he wasn’t entirely sure why he continued to hope he wouldn’t find anything useful in the article.

But, of course, there was a list of crash victims attached to the article.

Shigeru takes a deep, shaky breath before scrolling down into the list, his vision hazy. His scrolling stops suddenly when a single name stands out to him -- clear and crisp through the brimming tears.

 _Kyoutani Kentarou, 18_.

Shigeru shuts his laptop and shoves it away, wiping at his eyes furiously.

He still wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting.

Shigeru sits with his head in his hands for a long while before he feels an insistent nudge at his side. He sniffs and sits up to see the dog staring at him with an almost concerned look. The dog reaches out with its left paw, resting it on Shigeru’s right hand and whining quietly. Shigeru couldn’t help smiling slightly at the gesture.

“You’re just like Kentarou, you know that?” Shigeru turns his palm upward to shake the dog’s paw.

The dog whines again, louder and more forcefully this time, ending the sound with a light growl and a flailing of his paw.

“What? Use your words, I don’t speak grunt.”

The dog nudges Shigeru’s arm with his nose, imitating a grumbling sound in the back of his throat. He flails his paw again, tapping Shigeru’s hand a few -- no, seven times.

Shigeru shakes his head and blinks a few times, but for some reason, he’s sure he’s not just seeing things. “Am I an idiot?”

The dog grunts at him.

“Are you really… Kyoutani? I mean, I suspected it when I saw the spots, but… seriously?”

To this, the dog simply nudges Shigeru’s arm upward with his nose until he’s under it. Shigeru buries his face in the dog’s scruff, letting out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

“A car crash, huh?”

The dog whimpers quietly, as if confirming for Shigeru what he already knows. Shigeru straightens up again and smiles sadly.

“I can’t believe I just had a conversation with a dog,” Shigeru shakes his head and runs his hand through his hair. The dog narrows his eyes and his ears flatten against his head slightly. “Should I call you ‘Kyou’?”

The dog perks up again at the name.

“‘Kyou’ it is then,” Shigeru scratches Kyou’s head again before picking up his phone from the coffee table.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, Kyou, I have to talk to a human about this.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come scream about this with me at leeva-art.tumblr!
> 
> I'm not sure if I should be proud of myself or continue wanting to just combust.
> 
> Oddly enough, I came up with this one after almost crashing my car in the snow myself, so... ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> Actually, no "¯\\_(ツ)_/¯" here. It was terrifying. (By the way, in Kyoutani's case, it really wasn't because he wasn't careful. It was someone else, of course).
> 
> Well, that was the tip of the iceberg for this AU in terms of angst and fluff and nsfw... This AU is going to be an adventure~


End file.
